Improvement in springs for vehicles



HERSHEY & DUDLEY. Wagon Spring. No. 112,037. Patented Feb. 21, 1871.

39%"1115 in H8? 871 Kg Rich avg 25451283.

To all whom it may concern:

UNITED STATES PATENT OEEIoE.

BENJAMIN HERSHEY AND RICHARD DUDLEY, OF ERIE, PENNSYLVANIA.

IMPROVEMENT IN SPRINGS FOR VEHICLES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 112,037, dated February21, 1871.

Be it known that we, BENJAMIN HERSHEY and RICHARD DUDLEY, both of Erie,in the.

county of Erie and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new anduseful Improvements in Springs for Vehicles 5 and we do hereby declarethat the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the same,reference being had to the accompanying drawing, and to the letters ofreference marked thereon, making part of this specification, in which-Figure l is a perspective view, showing our improved spring as appliedto a vehicle. Figs. 2 and 3 show modifications of the attachment of thelateral arms of the springs and the standards which connect with thevehicle. Fig.

.4 is the spring-rod and friction-plate detached Fig. 5 is an enlargedview from the vehicle. of the friction-slide and its cupor flanged seat.

The object of our invention is to furnish for wagons and other vehiclesa spring that shall be cheap and simple in its construction, and durableand reliable in use.

Our improvement relates to that class of springs known as the torsion,and whose effective working depends entirely on the clasticity of thesteel rods or bars of which they are constructed, and their adaptabilityto sustain the twisting and wrenching necessary to their successfuloperation.

Our invention consists in securing on a suitable base or platform therods or bars that constitute the spring. These consist of a longhorizontal arm, terminating at one end in a lateral arm, and at theother in a short rightangled shoulder. The arms thus formed are securedin two sets of bearings, the one stationary and the other movable. Inthe stationary bearing the shoulder is securely and rigidly keyed, whilein the other, and which is at or near the elbow formed by the lateralarm, the rod is attached in such manner on a sliding friction-plate thatits partial revolution is freely allowed when the spring is depressed ortwisted by the slight longitudinal movement or play of the slide. Thissliding friction plate rests and works in a cup or flanged seatpermanently attached to the platform or base on which the spring issecured.

To the inner ends of these lateral arms are attached the verticalstandards which connect the springs with the running-gear of thevehicle. Thus the springs are acted on by a direct vertical pressure, bywhich, through the sliding friction-plates, they are readily enabled toaccommodate themselves to the pressure twist-- ing the rods, and thenatural elasticity of the metal untwisting them in the very degree thepressure is lessened, and returning them to their normal position sosoon as it is entirely removed.

To enable others skilled in the art to make and use our invention, wewill 110w proceed to describe its construction and operation.

A is the platform or base on which the entire mechanism of the spring issecured. This may be an independent board, or the floor of thewagon-body or other vehicle, which may be properly strengthened and usedfor the purpose. B is'the bed-piece that rests on the rear axle, and Bthe ordinary head-block of a wagon. To these, or equivalent cross-barsor supports, the springs D D are attached by the vertical standards 0 G.

D D are the springs, and consistof a suitably-tempered steel rod, andare of the form shown in Fig. 4, consisting of a long horizontal arm,terminating in a shoulder, E, at one end, and a lateral arm, D, at theother. E E are bearin g-plates, secured at the center of the platform A,and on which the shoulders E of the rods D are securely and rigidlykeyed by staples or equivalent device. F F are cup or flanged seats, inwhich the sliding plates ff work. The flanged walls of this cup-seat F Fare inclined, as shown in Fig. 5, as are also the sides of the slide.This prevents the slide falling out of its seat or otherwise becomingdetached therefrom. These seats or cups F F are secured on the platformin such relative position to the bearing-plates E E that the staple onthe slide f shall encircle the rod D at or near the elbow formed by thelateral arm D, as clearly shown in Fig. 4.

The eye at the end of the lateral arm D may be bolted in the forked headof the standard 0, as shown in Fig. 1, or connected thereto by a link,as shown in Fig. 2, or inserted in a shoe, as shown in Fig. 3.

We have shown the spring as consisting of independent rods. Instead ofthis, however, two long ogee or S shaped rods may be used, the ends ofeach rod resting on the friction slide-plates, which are diagonallyopposite.

The operation is as follows: The spring is attached to thevebicle, andisinposition shown in Fig. 1. Weight is placed or pressure applied onthe platform, and is, owing to the connection between the lateral arms Dand standards 0 0, received and supported on a vertical line. Thistwists or wrenches the rod D, causing it to make a partial revolution,which it is readily enabled to do by the yielding and traveling in anoutward direction of the sliding friction-plate f. So soon as thepressure is removed the elasticity of the rod untwists the same, and theplate f is returned, the check-pin or stump f preventing its beingcarried beyond a given point.

Having thus fully described our invention,

' what we claim therein as new, and desire to se- 2. The rods D D,having lateral arms D D,

friction-plates f f, and standards 0 0, when the same are so combinedand arranged as to operate substantially as described.

' RICHARD DUDLEY.

BENJAMIN HERSHEY.

WVitnesses to Benj. Hersheys signature:

I. -W. WETMORE, S. SJSPENGER.

Witnesses as to R. Dudleys signature:

J. E. F. HOLMEAD, J. T. K. PLANT.

